A former colleague of Rex Heuermann has claimed that he blushed at the sight of the female staff, shared graphic details of the slaughter of animals and threatened to shoot a rival company started by one of his former employees.
Mary Shell wrote a detailed account of her experience working at the architecture firm founded by 59-year-old RH Consultants and Associates in 1994.
Shell had been hired as an “expediter” to eliminate red tape in the city and recounted in an article for new york magazine that when she met Heuermann, he had “reddened”.
“Like a shy teenager who had been surprised by a hot girl in the diner,” he continued.
Shell said the office had been staffed mainly by women who described them as “young and petite, the girl-next-door type” adding that although they knew he was married, the suspected serial killer never spoke of them.
A former colleague of Rex Heuermann claimed he blushed at the sight of the female staff, shared graphic details of the slaughter of animals and threatened to shoot his rival architecture firm.
The first victim, 24-year-old Melissa Barthelemy, was discovered by Suffolk County Police on December 11, 2010. The body of 22-year-old Megan Waterman was found two days later.
Maureen Brainard-Barnes was 25 when she disappeared (left). Amber Lynn Costello was 27 years old. Her bodies were found near Barthelemy the same day.
Shell started working at the firm in September 2007, noting that it had been only months after police said Heuermann took the life of his first victim, 25-year-old Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
Shell said his co-workers said he “had talked a lot about his bear hunting trips in particular – baiting an area and lying in wait.”
“More than once, he gleefully described the process of dressing up the game, appearing to delight in grossing out his employees.
The dress up game refers to removing the entrails and organs of an animal that has just been slaughtered in order to try and cool its meat as quickly as possible.
“Once, at a job site, he saw a customer approaching and, speaking to my boss on the phone, said, ‘Target in sight.'”
Heuermann had marketed himself to clients as a master at navigating building code and zoning analysis and believed he had “political clout and tried to convince others that he did too,” Shell said.
Heuermann was arrested on July 13 in connection with the grisly murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello, whose remains were found on Gilgo Beach in 2010. He has pleaded not guilty.
After two and a half years of working at the firm, Heuermann offered to hire Shell. By June 2010, she claimed to be working directly with the father of two, when she was allegedly investigating the next victim, Megan Waterman.
In August, Shell said it had left the company. He said that “a few weeks later, Heuermann was supposed to kill Amber Lynn Costello.”
The 59-year-old architect was arrested on July 13 in connection with the grisly murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello, whose remains were found on Gilgo Beach in 2010. He has pleaded not guilty.
Heuermann is also the prime suspect in the 2007 disappearance and subsequent murder of the fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, though he has yet to be charged.
He is also being investigated for the murders of six other people whose bodies were found on Gilgo Beach in 2011.
Since his explosive arrest in Manhattan, the once quiet block where Heuermann lived has become the scene of a media circus and a popular destination for crime addicts.
Dozens of people from all over Long Island and beyond have been seen stopping to take a look at the active crime scene as forensic teams comb the Massapequa Park home for evidence.
The quiet neighborhood was turned upside down after Heuermann, who is currently being held in a Suffolk County jail, was charged with the murders of the three escorts. He is scheduled to appear in court on August 1.
Investigators revealed on July 14 that they moved to arrest Heuermann out of fear that the alleged killer might strike again.
Since Heuermann’s explosive arrest in Manhattan, the once-quiet block where the married father of two lived has become the scene of a media circus and a popular destination for crime addicts.
Nassau County police will slap grieving tourists who stay outside the Long Island home of suspected serial killer Rex Heuermann with a $150 fine
The cops had had Heuermann under surveillance since last year and had planned to continue following him as they built their case.
They decided to make the arrest in the interest of “public safety,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.
Questions have been raised as to why it took investigators so long to finally catch the suspected killer after more than a decade on the loose.
Prior to his arraignment, prosecutors released explosive evidence against him including:
· His wife’s DNA was found on three of the victims’ bodies
· One of his own hairs was found on the body of one of the victims
· Cell phone calls made from a disposable phone to the victims were traced back to his office
· A call made to one of the victims’ sisters after their deaths was traced to her office
His Tinder profile with photos of him was linked to the disposable phone
Your Chevrolet pickup was seen by a witness to a missing victim
Matches the description of ‘ogre’ as a man seen with a victim before she disappeared
Heuermann graphically searched for child pornography and images of sexually abused women
· He also Googled updates on the case, looking for ‘why law enforcement couldn’t trace calls made by Long Island serial killer’
As forensic police officers continue to search Hueramann’s home, mysterious objects have been unearthed in the 59-year-old’s backyard.
The haunting footage showed officers huddled over a hole in the ground while examining small fragments on a board.
Some experts have speculated that they could be human remains, while others warned that they could be from animals or something else entirely.
Investigators have been removing boxes of items from the house for the past week as they rigorously search for any evidence related to the infamous murders.
They have uncovered a large arms cache and are investigating the idea that some of the victims may have been massacred in the house.
A doctor and a bone expert analyzed the photos for DailyMail.com and were divided on the nature of the objects, but said “human remains cannot be ruled out”.
‘Really from a distance they could definitely be humans or animals. But it’s too far away to know for sure,” a doctor said.
“DNA tests are very necessary: doctors are used to close-ups.”
Another expert, a forensic anthropologist, told DailyMail.com: ‘In my experience, they look too rectangular to be human. You wouldn’t recognize any of those objects immediately as human remains.
“But the dark spot on them suggests we’re looking at organic material, and the context they were found in means it wouldn’t rule out human remains.”
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said investigators were unable to confirm whether any of the victims had ever visited the Heuermann home.
“We’re doing a full investigation around the house to see if there’s anything out there that we need to take a closer look at,” he said.
A forensic photographer is seen bending over the tray of found objects in the Heuermann home.
‘Can we confirm that someone died inside the house? We cannot confirm that at this time.
Police believe that Heuermann’s wife, Asa Ellerup, 59, and their children were not involved in the killings.
Analysis of phone records shows that Ellerup was out of town during the periods of 2009 and 2010 when Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello went missing.
He was in Iceland, where he was born, visiting friends in New Jersey.
Ellerup filed for divorce last week and has not returned to the house, which remains sealed.
